Wisden, in its obituary of Kotze, described him as the fastest bowler who ever played important cricket in South Africa and he was described by Plum Warner as being second only in pace to the legendary Kortright. Kotze was particularly noted for the length of his run up and for his stamina in being able to bowl as quickly at the end of the day as he did at the beginning.

Kotze began his career too early to make any real impact on Test cricket and he played in only three Test matches. The first two were at home against Australia in 1902/03 when he picked up a modest haul of six wickets at 33 apiece. The Australians comfortably defeated their hosts in the two games for which Kotze was selected but he did have the satisfaction of removing, at different times, Trumper, Hill, Gregory and Duff before they had settled in. Kotze's only other Test was in England in 1907 when he bowled 12 wicketless overs in the first Test after which the South Africans decided, on seeing the success of their quartet of googly bowlers that, poor bat and field that Kotze was, he was surplus to requirements.

Altogether in First Class cricket Kotze took 348 wickets at 17 apiece more than a third of those being taken during the 1904 tour of England at a cost of less than 20 apiece. Had South Africa been playing Tests on that tour, and indeed Kotze previous visit in 1901, then his Test record would surely have been more impressive.

In 1907 Kotze was only 28 but he was to appear in only seven more First Class matches and by the age of 32 he had ceased bowling fast. After he gave up playing Kotze was not lost to the game as he became the groundsman at Newlands. He died of heart failure at the comparatively early age of 51 in 1931.

Their is funny part when Peter West was talking about Kotze, when he said in some test match in ENG. He was bowling so fast, that edges he was getting flew to the fieders so quicky, a fair amout of catches where dropped in the slips. His team mates suggested that instead of being annoyed at them, he would have been more forgiving if he had to standing in the slips to his own bowling.

Have to say that I'm delighted with Aussie's pick - I'd never heard of Kotze before and this is part of the reason why I wanted to such a draft - so draftees such as myself and other non-draftees can learn more about some of the more obscure great pre-war cricketers. Great pick, Aussie.